Coal conveyer



' Oct. 27, 1931. w. M. SCHWEICKART COAL CONVEYER Filed May 9, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN VEN TOR.

44 TTORNEYS.

Oct. 27, 1931. w. M. SCHWEICKART' 1,828,984

' COAL CONVEYER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fiied May 9, 1950 Patented Oct. 2 7, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE WILLIAM MOORE SCHWEICKART, OF RAIMISEY, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO AUTOMATIC COAL BURNER COMPANY, OF SIEll-IT'ILE,- WASHINGTON, A CORPORATION OF WASH- INGTON COAL CONVEYER Application filed May 9, 1930. Serial No. 450,968.

The object of my invention is to provide a mechanical-type conveyer that is suitable for carrying coal from the coal bins to the furnaces and stokers in residences and'apartment houses, and in other like situations; that isto say, in situations where (hand-firing, say, being contemplated at the time of the construction of the building) various relations between and relative placements of the furnace or stoker on the-one hand and the coal bin on the other are met with.

I11 the accompanying drawings, my invention is illustrated as applied to a stoker of household type. Figure 1 is an elevation of a furnace, its stoker and the coal bin, with the conveyer applied thereto. Figure 2, partly in section, is a detail of the conveyer and one arrangement for supporting it. Figure 3 is a plan view substantially on the line 33 of Figure 1. Figure 4 is a detail of a modification.

In the drawings, a household furnace is shown at 1, the hopper of the automatic coal stoker for thefurnace is shown at 2, and at 3 is the bin containing the supply of coal for the'furnace. It will be understood as the description proceeds that the invention is not limited to the relation of bin to stoker (or furnace) illustrated, but that the bin may occupy almost any position around the stoker (or furnace) and may be nearer to it or farther away. The conveyer of the present invention is readily adapted to any such situation that may be encountered. Various types of household stokers are known, and since the present invention is not concerned with the particular type of stoker (and indeed is applicable also to feed coal to a furnacedirect, as before indicated) the stoker illustrated need not be further described. A hopper with a flat top 4 has been chosen for illustrative purposes, because of its simplicity; the invention is not limited to flat topped hoppers however, as also will become apparent.

The coal-conducting portion of the con- -veyer comprises two parts, a reach, as I call it, consisting of a tube or trough 5 (or simply a supporting or enclosing structure) together with the coal-carrying mechanism associated therewith, here a motor-driven screw 6, which reaches from the coal bin to the receiver, and a snout 7 at the furnace-end of the reach and into which the reach delivers and down. which the coal runs by gravity into the receiver (st-oker, hopper, furnace, furnace magazine, or whatever the receiver may be). The binend of the reach, it will be understood, is placed wherever it may receive coal from the bin, either adjacent or within the bin. The reach 56 is so connected to the receiver (hopper) 2 as to be capable of two adjustments; first, in the vertical plane, to different angles from the horizontal downwardly toward the vertical; second, to different positions radially from the vertical center line of the receiver 2. I fixed the snout 7 rigidly to the reach structure 5, and usually I fix the snout to the reach at a fairly large angle, for example, at right angles thereto or at an angle approaching a right angle. Preferably therefore, I rigidly fix the snout 7 to the reach structure 5 at about a right angle thereto; hinge the snout 7, as shown at 8, in a direction at right angles to the reach, to a member 9 whereby the snout is connectedto the sup- 7 port for this end of the conveyer (here represented by the receiver top 4) and so connect the snout member 9 to the support 4 that the snout is adjustable around the vertical center line of the horizontal area at the top of the receiver through which the snout delivers. To provide for this latter adjustment, the member 9 or snout plate may be connected to the conveyer-support 4 by means of bolts passing through arcuate slots 14 as shown in Figure 4 for example; preferably however the snout plate 9-has the form of a disc and is held in an annular clamp 15-16 as shown in Figure 2; the clamp member 15 is rigidly attached to the support 4 while the cooperating clamping ring 16 is tied to 15 by nuts and bolts 17. The snout 7 is then made of such length as to permit the reach 5 to pass .the side of the'receiver 2, regardless of how nearly vertical it is likely to be necessary to place the reach. When the horizontal dimensions of the receiver 2 are not inconveniently large, the opening in its top 4 for the snout may be placed at, say, the center of the top,

and thence the reach led off at any necessary angle to the horizontal angle and in any direction. IVhen the receiver is so large that this requires a longer snout than may be available or desirable, the snout opening may be placed near one side of the top, and the top (or other support) may be arranged for placement in various positions in the horizontal plane, so that the snout can be placed in the most favorable position for holding the reach away from the receiver. For example, this is illustrated in the present instance by the arrangement of the snout to deliver into the receiver near one corner of the latter; by removing the bolts 18 which hold the conveyer-support (top) 4 to the receiver, this support 4 can be re-set to place the snout at any one of the four corners of the receiver.

Preferably the reach is a cylindrical tube 5 with a screw 6 for carrying the coal therethrough as before pointed out. IVhen it has this construction, I prefer to use a tube having an internal diameter considerably larger than the external diameter of the screw, for I have found that a screw hearing such a relation to the tube requires less power to operate than a screw having a diameter more nearly equal to the internal diameter of the tube; I have found that an internal tube diameter of about three inches to a screw diameter of two inches is a good relation. The screw 6 may be, and preferably is, journalled at 22 in the snout wall; it need not be journalled elsewhere throughout its length. To turn the screw, I preferably use an electric motor 23 and a worm-and-worm-gear speed reducing gearing 24 interposed between the motor shaft and the furnace-end of the screw, the motor and speed reducing gearing being mounted on the snout 7. Other driving mechanisms for the screw may be substituted however.

. The reach 5-6 being readily adjusted from the horizontal well downwardly (by reason of the hinge 8), and being capable of taking almost or quite a Vertical position without interference from the receiver (either because of the snout 7 alone or because of the snout'in co-operation with the passing of the snout into the receiver at one side of the vertical center line of the latter and the adjustability of the snout support around that center line) and likewise the reach being adjustable to substantially anyposition around the vertical center line of the receiver, it is apparent that such a conveyer as I have de- 1 scribed is suitable for the various relations .will be cut-to suit the of coal'bin to furnace-met with in residences and apartment houses. In length, thereach particular situation encountered. 2 1 a As indicated in Figure 2, the delivery end of the snout may be bent so that it will substantially close the snout-opening in the snout plate 9, regardless of the angle to the horizontal at which the snout may be placed.

It is obvious of course that the conveyer can be controlled (or even actuated) manually, or it may be started and stopped entirely automatically, as conditions may demand. As a safeguard, or as a control, when the conveyer is motor driven, I usually provide an automatic switch for opening the motor circuit when the free flow of coal from the snout is interfered with, thus assuring the conveyer being stopped when the receiver has been filled. To this end, an auxiliary opening for the escape of coal may be provided, say at or near the snout, and thereat a motor-controlling switch placed for operation by coal escaping or tending to escape from the auxil iary opening. For this purpose, the upper end of the snout 7 is closed by a flap or cover 26 hinged at 27, and on this is mounted a switch in the form of a glass tube 28 penetrated at one end by two wires and containing a little mercury for bridging-the two wires. Switches of this type are well known. The tube 28 may be carried by a bracket 29 which is adjustable for the purpose of permitting the tube 28 to be set at various angles. On the installation of a conveyer, the bracket 29 is so adjusted that when the flap 26 is closed against the end of the snout, the mercury in the tube bridges the two wires, but when the flap is raised a little (by coal backing up in the snout and thence seeking to escape from beneath the flap) the mercury runs toward the opposite end of the tube and thus disconnects the two wires, one from the other. A switch so installed may be interconnected with the motor circuit in various ways, to the end that it will stop the motor when the flap is raised, as will be apparent. For illustrative purposes I have shown the switch connected in series with the motor; from the incoming power or supply lines 31, one lead 32 goes direct to a motor terminal; a second lead 33 connects the other motor terminal to one of the two wires piercing the tube 28; and the third lead 34, containing the switch 35 by which the motor is started (and perhaps normally stopped), connects the other of the two wires piercing the glass tube 28 to the remaining side of the incoming lines 31.

It will be understood that my invention is not limited to the specific-construction illustrated and described above, except as appears hereinafter in the claims.

1. The combination of a coal receiver of the kind indicated, a coal conveyer for conveying coal from a coal bin to said receiver comprising a reach, a delivery snout fixed to the receiver end of the reach and delivering into the receiver, a-snout plate and means hinging the snout to thesnout plate on an axis extending substantially horizontally and transversely of the reach, and means permitting adjustment around a vertical line pass ing through the snout plate for supporting the snout plate on said receiver.

2. The combination with a coal receiver of the kind indicated and a coal bin, of a conveyer for conveying coal from the bin to said receiver comprising a reach, a snout fixed to the receiver end of the reach and a snout plate fixed at the receiver for supporting the snout and receiver-end of said reach, said snout-plate being hinged to the snout for adjustment of the reach in a vertical plane and the connection of the snout-plate at the receiver permitting adjustment around a vertical line passing through the snout-plate.

3. The sub ect matter of claim 1, characterized by the fact that the reach consists of a tube with a conveyer screw therein.

4. The subject matter of claim 1, characterized by the fact that the reach consistsof a tube with a conveyer screw therein, and by the fact that a motor and speed-reducing mechanism to drive the conveyer screw is provided, said motor and speed-reducing mechanism being mounted on said snout.

5'. The subject matter of claim 1, characterized by the fact that the snout is provided with an auxiliary opening for the escape of coal when free flow through the snout is interfered with, and means operable by the coal escaping through said auxiliary opening is provided thereat.

6. A coal conveyer of the kind indicated comprising a tube, a conveyer screw therein, a snout fixed-to the delivery end of the tube,

hinge means at the delivery end of the snout 1 for adjustment of the tube in a vertical plane, an electric motor, speed-reducing gearing connecting the shaft of said motor to said screw, said motor and speed-reducing gearing being mounted on said snout, a hinged flap closing the end of the snout adjacent the thereto, an a switch connected to said flap for operation thereby.

In testimony whereof, I have signed this specification.

dpoint of delivery of said tube WILLIAM MOORE SCllWElCKART. 

